I would put up both years that I applied, but LSN won't let me. Quick overview for all future applicants.
LSAT: 165/170 (2009-10), 165 (2010-11). Oddly enough the 170 was the one I prepped the least for.
2009-10 Cycle: Rejected at Yale; WL --> Reject at Harvard (February Hold) and Stanford; WL --> WD at Columbia; Accepted at Chicago (21k), Penn (45k), UVA (75k), Northwestern (90k), Cornell (96k), Georgetown (30k and Global Law Scholars), Vanderbilt (90k), Minnesota (90k), and Alabama (Full Tuition 20 iTunes downloads). Despite money at UVA and GLS (but no money) at Georgetown, my choice came down to Chicago and Penn. I deposited at Chicago, but ended up withdrawing in August. Why? I guess I just got cold feet about Chicago's location and social reputation, and didn't want to settle for less than Harvard.
2010-11 Cycle: Retook the LSAT and did worse. Reworked my application and cast a much smaller net with similar results. Rejected at Yale again and January Hold --> WL at Harvard. Accepted at Chicago (30k), Penn (39k --> 45k), and NYU (25k). Pretty much the same choice as last year, but I took Penn this time since I felt much more comfortable there.
Around July 4 I received an unexpected JR1 and a JR2 the next day. What made the difference this time? This is a question I asked JR himself and have yet to receive an answer. The only thing I can think of that I did differently than other WLed applicants is that I was VERY persistent with LOCIs. After I got Held I tried to send a letter at least once a month highlighting some new achievement and restating my interest in HLS. I honestly didn't think it would have any effect-- I just wanted to be able to say I did everything I could-- but at the very least it seems not to have had a negative impact on my application.
